Man City 115 charges verdict latest: Points deduction, Easter and summer timelines, punishment hints | OneFootball

The long-running battle between Manchester City and the Premier League over alleged financial breaches continues to cloud the club’s on-field commitments, with reports continuing to emerge over a potential verdict date.

While the blue half of Manchester recently celebrated the 0-2 Carabao Cup Final victory over Arsenal, the shadow of the 115 charges and the investigation into the matter remains a primary talking point off the pitch.

With the 2026 March international break providing a brief hiatus from Premier League and domestic cup action, the focus has shifted back to the independent panel’s deliberations and the potentially season-defining, and perhaps history-defining, punishments that could follow.

Despite a 12-week hearing concluding nearly 18 months ago, silence has largely surrounded proceedings. Although fresh insights suggest the football may be approaching the endgame of a saga that has gripped the English game since February 2023.

The conflicting verdict timelines

According to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, speaking on the ‘Libero’ podcast, the expected arrival of a verdict has fluctuated.

While initial whispers suggested an outcome could be delivered during the Easter 2026 period, the latest understanding is that the timeline may have slipped back into the summer of the same year.

This follows a report from The Athletic in mid-March, which claimed that anonymous sources from both the Premier League and Manchester City have received zero official updates from the independent panel.

For now, both the club’s hierarchy – spearheaded by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and CEO Ferran Soriano – and Manchester City fans remain in a state of prolonged uncertainty.

A ’60-point deduction’ and the Chelsea precedent

If Manchester City are found guilty of the infractions – which some believe to total closer to 130 breaches rather than the original 115 – the potential sanctions could be unprecedented.

Football finance specialist Kieran Maguire has previously mooted a points deduction ranging from 40 to 60 points – a penalty that would almost certainly relegate the club regardless of their on-field performances.

Manchester City fans, as well as those within the game, have recently looked towards Chelsea as a comparative study:

However, Miguel Delaney has noted that Manchester City’s legal team may be “licking their lips” at certain legal precedences set during Chelsea’s three-year investigation, potentially finding loopholes that could mitigate a points-based disaster.

What have former Man City players said?

Former Manchester City captain Richard Dunne recently hit out at the timing of the investigation, labelling the threat of a mid-season 60-point slap as “stupid.”

Speaking via Goal, Dunne argued that the Premier League is actively sabotaging its own product by allowing the case to drag into a high-stakes title race.

“They’ve come to a conclusion a long time ago, so why it’s taken so long to get around to giving out their results is stupid,” Dunne stated. “They’re ruining their own competition if they come out and start making decisions now. It’s best left until the summer.”

Richard Dunne also expressed frustration that the club’s incredible footballing output – including the rise of stars like Nico O’Reilly and the tactical evolution under Pep Guardiola – is constantly overshadowed by “the negative side” of FFP talk.

Manchester City vehemently deny any wrongdoing.